Truth Conditions
by Kyou
Summary: The group find themselves in a classconscious world with both Asyura and Fai lookalikes. Eventual KuroFai


Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle does not belong to me; it belongs to CLAMP.

At first there was only darkness wrapped in darkness.

All this was only unillumed water.

That One which came to be, enclosed in nothing,

Arose at last, born of the power of heat…

--from the _Rig Veda_

**Truth Conditions**

0 – _Set Paths_

The warrior stares at the sleeping magician, an unfamiliar expression of concern settling on his face. Kurogane is far more used to unthinking violence and anger – but Fai nags the edges of emotion, touching the landscape of Kurogane's feelings in untested waters. Here there be dragons – but Fai manages to dive right into the abyss at the end of the world, and whenever Kurogane looks at him, the dragon of concern, with its mate the leviathan of care, rear their heads and wreak havoc on Kurogane's map.

Traveling with Syaoran, Sakura, and, yes, Fai, has opened Kurogane in ways he never imagined. Killing and killing and the slaughter of man in a neverending quest to become "strong" had become his very nature – now, unacknowleged but there, is a little voice in his head that says maybe Tomoyo knew what she was about when she sent him on what by all rights should have been an endless journey – the journey has not ended yet, but now, Kurogane has no doubt that it will. And now, sometimes, he wonders if he really wants it to end. The thought of an endless journey should terrify him, and

-fear is something he should not know-

sometimes it does, he can admit it now, finally, can see the fear for what it is instead of couching it in terms of anger at Tomoyo for sending him on this terrifying journey in the first place. However,

-staring at the sleeping magician-

now, he thinks he could bear it. Sometimes,

-concern settling across battle-hardened features-

he almost wants to continue forever, never settling down completely. To his companions, he is on his way home, but secretly…

sometimes….

1 - _Consistency_ is all I ask

Fai smiled, as he always did. Another dimension hop, and Mokona couldn't distinguish a feather-sense from the power-aura all around, as always happened.

"Shall we hit the town, then?" said Fai, smiling.

"Yes, we should find out what's causing the interference. The power Mokona senses might be concealing a feather," replied Syaoran, serious as always.

Walking into town, there didn't seem to be any major catastrophe going on, which was unusual.

"It's too quiet," said Kurogane, glancing around suspiciously.

Brightly-colored and over-decorated wood houses, cobblestone roads that eventually led to a shopping district. People dressed in flamboyantly colored long coats and long pants, tall hats and tall boots. Not looking at Syaoran and company still in their clothing from the last world, short pants and sleeveless shirts, neutral colors, suited for a temperate climate. The lack of interest of the inhabitants of this world was disturbing to the group of travelers, used by now to having to avoid the stares until being outfitted by some kind soul in the world's dress of choice.

"Way too quiet," agreed Fai cheerfully.

"Should we try to talk to someone?" said Syaoran, unnerved.

"Can we leave here?" said Sakura, looking frightened.

"Sakura-hime? What's wrong?" asked Syaoran, ever attentive to his princess.

"Mokona feels it too!" chimed in the white steamed bun. "Something bad is in this area!"

Everyone looked around apprehensively, as if the origin of the bad feeling would stick out and they'd be able to see it and defeat it right then and there.

2 – _Immortality_ is all I seek

The man had noticed the four travelers and their talking steamed bun the minute they had strolled into Nobles' Quarter in their peasant's dress without seeming to realize the gross breach of etiquette their very presence perpetrated. They seemed confused, as if they had thought to be recognized, or acknowleged.

Wondering if perhaps they were newly-hired help from outside the country, the man made his way over to where they had been standing for the past two minutes. As he approached, he noted that their expressions seemed to reflect nervousness; apprehension. Maybe they had finally realized what they had done.

"Hello," said the man. "May I inquire as to what peasants such as yourselves are doing in the Nobles' Quarter?"

The blond one looked straight at him – another gross breach of etiquette that was overshadowed by the shock of recognition on both faces.

"_Fai_?" breathed the man, wide-eyed.

The blond quickly recovered, however, and the man was left wondering if he had merely imagined the look of recognition on his face before.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" said the blond, smiling cheerfully.

"I-I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else. My earlier question still stands. What business have you here?"

3 – _A dying fall_

"What business have you here?" asked the strange man, seeming to recover himself. Kurogane glared at him suspiciously, before transferring his suspicious look to Fai, who was still smiling, no trace of the shock Kurogane could have sworn he had seen on the magician's face not a minute ago.

"We're travelers, we've been on the road for a while and honestly, we're not quite sure where we are. Could you tell us?" lied Fai smoothly.

"You're in the country of Dilmun; in the Nobles' Quarter, to be exact. I saw how you were dressed and assumed you were peasants who had mistakenly wandered in, and I apologize. Have you money? If you continue to look as you are, you're not likely to receive guidance or support, at least not here."

"We unfortunately have no local currency," replied Fai, looking appropriately chagrined. "If you could tell us a little about this country, though, it would be appreciated, and then we shall leave you and the nobles in peace."

"Of course, I shall tell you whatever you need to know," replied the stranger.

Kurogane snorted imperceptibly; it must be the combination of Sakura's vacant stare and Syaoran's unwavering intensity that caused any person they might meet to accept their flimsy excuses and tell them all about insert-country-here. And much as Kurogane was loathe to admit it, Fai's charisma probably helped as well.

Although in this case, it might have been all Fai's doing. The strange man had definitely recognized Fai, and Kurogane was sure Fai had recognized him back, even though he was now pretending not to know him.

"The Deva is our god and supreme ruler; she lives in the Crystal Palace, and no one ever sees her. The House of Lords is our main legislative body, they create our laws. Of course, a law is only passed if the Deva approves it. The city is divided; you're in the Nobles' Quarter right now, but if you go a little ways up and cut through the alley by the first of the Great Houses, you'll reach the peasants' area. I myself am a senior member of the House of Lords. If you'd like, I can offer you hospitality. I live alone, there is plenty of room to have you."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow at this. What with the class consciousness that seemed to infuse the whole Dilmunian society, he wouldn't have expected a nobleman to offer shelter to a bunch of aimless drifters that apparently looked like peasants.

"We'd love to stay with you, if you're sure we're not an imposition," said Syaoran, ever polite. Kurogane knew that the only reason Syaoran agreed so readily was because he wanted to be sure Sakura got shelter; she was still very fragile and prone to falling asleep often.

Fai looked as if he wanted to object for a moment, but the expression passed as he too glanced at Sakura, and the ever-present smile returned.

"Thank you for your generosity," he said instead.

4 – _A giggle in a vacuum_

Fai grew up in a world like this – class is important, and no one is to stray from their station in life. Fai grew up in a world like this, and what he doesn't want the others to know just yet is that he grew up with a man like this – this stranger that they just met who looks exactly like a body floating sealed inside a palace on an abandoned world.

Fai is smiling, but Fai wants to find the feather and get out as quickly as possible. He wants to get out of this stranger-Asyura's house even sooner than that. Fai grew up in a world like this, and Fai doesn't want to be reminded of the world he left behind, the beliefs he left behind, the status he left behind, the king he left behind.

Fai is also disturbed that apparently there is a stranger-Fai in this strange land that stranger-Asyura seems to know. Although the group has met alternate versions of people they knew in the worlds they left behind, no one has yet encountered alternate versions of themselves. And while they seem to meet an Arasi and a Sorata on every world they come to, they had not met an Asyura until this world. Fai had hoped that they never would.

5 - _There's a limit_ –

Syaoran knew something was wrong, he too had caught the momentary flash of shock and recognition on Fai's face before the traditional smile and a façade of innocence had taken its place. However, if Fai doesn't want to tell him, it's no business of his. He wouldn't have accepted the man's invitation, but Sakura's needs had to come before all else.

They never did discover the source of her and Mokona's bad feelings, before the stranger – whose name they had yet to learn, that was suspicious in and of itself, didn't introductions usually come before invitations? – had taken them in. It wasn't the man itself producing the bad feeling, for neither Mokona nor Sakura had objected to staying with him, but Syaoran was naturally suspicious.

"There's something up with that guy and Fai," said Kurogane needlessly, storming into Sakura's room.

"I know," replied Syaoran. "Nothing we can do about it right now, though. We should concentrate on finding out whether or not there's a feather here before trying to pry into Fai's secrets."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't like it, though. I'm gonna go talk to him."

"Okay," said Syaoran. Kurogane left, and Syaoran checked to make sure Sakura was sleeping comfortably before retreating to his own room.

6 – _to what two people can do_.

"I was surprised for a minute, yeah," said Fai to Kurogane. "It's so cute of Kuro-pin to worry!"

Kurogane glared at the smiling, teasing blond magician, for once refusing to give in to the bait.

"What's the matter?" he growled instead. "Who is that man?"

"I certainly don't know who he is here, Kuro-mune. Kuro-run is so silly!"

"You know what I mean!" snapped "Kuro-run." "Who was he back when you knew him? On your world?"

"Ah, I guess I'll have to tell you all sometime," Fai laughed. "Well, I'm sure I've told you that I'm running away? I sent myself to the Dimension Witch so that I might never go back to my world. I'm running away from my king, who I sealed. He won't stay sealed, of course; hence I run. Our gracious host in this world just happens to look a lot like Asyura-ou."

Kurogane continued to glare; Fai's smile never faltered.

"And you're perfectly okay with this, are you?" Kurogane let sarcasm shine through.

"Of course, Kuro-pon! It's not like he's the real Asyura, after all!"

Kurogane snorted in disbelief, but decided to let the matter rest for the time being, having other things to worry about first off.

"Well, since our _Asyura_-lookalike has given us clothes, Syaoran wants to go scout the town and try to find the source of the bad feeling."

"Alright then, let's go!" Fai snatched up a hat and walking stick, and breezed out into the hallway. Kurogane followed, already fully dressed, only to run into the ever too familiar scene of Syaoran trying to convince Sakura to stay put while they scouted.

To be continued…

Notes on the romanization: I used the Nippon system of romanization in this fic, rather than the more common Hepburn, because 1 – it's the system that CLAMP themselves use, and 2 – I like the way it looks better. Thus, _Ashura_ becomes _Asyura_, _Shaoran_ becomes _Syaoran_, and _Arashi_ becomes _Arasi_.

Another disclaimer: most of the "chapter" titles come from various lines and stage directions from the brilliant play _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead_, by Tom Stoppard.


End file.
